The foregoing abstract is not to be taken as limiting the invention of this application and in order to understand the full nature and extent of the technical disclosure of this application reference must be made to the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description.
The invention relates to protection of the sidewalls of vehicle tires which operate off the road and especially those tires which employ a removable tread or a detachable traction band having grouser bars. In such tires the sidewalls are vulnerable to damage from sharply pointed rocks and other material which the tire is likely to encounter as it rolls over the rough terrain for which off-the-road type vehicles are designed to operate.
There has been a continuing effort to provide protection for the protruding flexed sidewalls of the tires without detracting from the design characteristics of the tire. Passenger tires of the early 1900s were highly susceptible to punctures. Curved metal protector plates have been used with little success to shield the sidewalls of the tire. Non-metallic shields have also been used to protect tire sidewalls. Resilient annular shields for protecting the sidewalls of the tire composed of a suitable resilient material such as rubber have been employed wherein the shileds are attached to the tire such that portions of the shields covering the sidewalls are free of the sidewalls so that stress as experienced by the tire sidewalls as they flex during operation of the tire will not be imparted to the shields.
None of the prior art tire sidewall shields have been entirely satisfactory for use with tires intended for off-the-road operation. Prior art shields have not been as effective as desired in excluding dirt, sand and other debris from ingress between the outer surface of the tire sidewall and the inner surface of the sidewall shield. Accumulation of debris in this area results in damage to the tire sidewall during continued operation of the tire.
A primary object of the invention is to provide a replaceable reinforced annular resilient shield for protection of the sidewall of a tire, the reinforcements assisting in maintaining firm engagement of the shield with the adjacent sidewall of the tire.
A further object of the invention is to provide a tire including a resilient shield for protection of the sidewall of a tire, the shield including reinforcements which assist the shield, and particularly its radially innermost end, in maintaining firm engagement with the tire sidewall during operation of the tire to reduce entry of debris between the shield and the tire sidewall.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.